Giants Relive a Bad Memory

Drew Brees and the Saints handed the Giants their worst loss of the season last year, beating them 49-24 in New Orleans in Week 12.
Reuters

By

Jonathan Clegg

Dec. 7, 2012 7:59 p.m. ET

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—Let's admit it: The Giants begin their critical four-game stretch this weekend with a matchup that should be relatively painless.

The New Orleans Saints head to MetLife Stadium on Sunday toting back-to-back losses, a 5-7 record, and a quarterback coming off a game in which he threw five interceptions. That doesn't sound like a juggernaut—it sounds like the Jets.

But when the Giants take a look at this opponent, they don't see a mediocre team playing out the final weeks of a subpar season. They see their nemesis.

Nobody has given the Giants nightmares quite like New Orleans in recent seasons. These two NFC powers have faced each other twice over the past three years, with the Saints winning those two meetings by a combined score of 97-51 and with Drew Brees totaling 732 passing yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Giants were so roundly thrashed in last season's 49-24 loss at the Superdome that players and coaches said this week they found it tough to review film of the game. Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said he didn't want to be reminded of the beatdown. Cornerback Corey Webster lost count of the number of mistakes that showed up on film, while defensive end Osi Umenyiora flat-out refused to watch. "To this day, I still won't watch that game," Umenyiora said. "I got hurt in that game and I remember going in to get X-rays on my ankle. By the time I came out, they had scored four or five touchdowns. I didn't know what had happened."

The Giants are hardly the only team to have had trouble with the Saints. In the past three years, New Orleans's high-octane passing attack has led the team to a .771 win percentage, a Super Bowl title and a bunch of offensive records.

But what makes the Giants' struggles so odd is how successful they've been at shutting down the game's other superstar quarterbacks. They roughed up Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in last year's playoffs. By all accounts, they've beaten Tom Brady's New England Patriots in a couple of big games, too.

But when it comes to facing Brees and the Saints, the Giants have consistently come up short. "We've had zero success," said guard Chris Snee. "We know that they're still a very dangerous team."

What makes the Saints such a tricky matchup for the Giants is how they take away the team's biggest strength—its dominant defensive line.

The Giants defense is built around a ferocious pass rush that flattens opposing passers. There may be nobody better at exerting pressure from a four-man front. But thanks to the construction of the Saints offensive line, Brees's quick release, and an underrated running game, the Saints render it rather ineffective.

For starters, the Saints have an unusual offensive line that is stronger in the interior than on the edges. Jahri Evans and Ben Grubbs are two of the league's best guards, while center Brian de la Puente has emerged as a force.

Though the line is weaker at the tackle spots, where the Giants deploy their most dangerous pass rushers, the trio of sturdy inside blockers mean Brees is often able to step up in the pocket and evade rushers coming off the edge. Last season, the Giants hurried Brees on 10 occasions but failed to register a sack as he repeatedly stepped up to avoid pressure.

Then there's the fact that Brees has a quicker delivery than some other elite quarterbacks. While Rodgers, for instance, tends to hold on to the ball, looking for a big play when coverages break down, Brees spends less time waiting for plays to develop. The Saints quarterback releases the ball after 2.70 seconds on average, according to the website Pro Football Focus. That is two-tenths of a second faster than Rodgers's average, meaning the Giants pass rushers have less time to reach the Saints quarterback.

But the Giants say the biggest challenge when it comes to slowing down the Saints offense is also one of the least expected: their running game. Though New Orleans will never be mistaken for a smash-mouth team, they get enough production out of their collection of complementary running backs to keep pass rushers from keying on Brees.

Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles, Chris Ivory and Mark Ingram have collectively averaged 120 rushing yards per game during the past five weeks, and amassed 205 yards on the ground in last year's win over the Giants.

"A lot of people talk about their pass game and that's what a lot of people focus on, but they run the ball very effectively," said linebacker Michael Boley. "If you're thinking pass first and they get you back on your heels, they're going to pound the ball at you."

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